Her Favorite Store
by Meesh
Summary: A quick 1,000 word one-shot; a little silly and a little sad. Mostly silly! Kaidan walks around the Citadel after Horizon and begins to see small glimpses of the woman he used to know.


Kaidan sighed as he pulled on a simple shirt. He'd spent long enough moping around after seeing Shepard on Horizon. More than that, his shore leave was up. Time to get back to work. First, though, a hungry biotic needed food. At least the migraine went away. Boots were shoved onto his feet and out he went.

The Presidium was so…fake. The "sky" was just a projection and the lake was just their water supply. He shook his head as he thought about just how much money went into maintaining something so frivolous. Admittedly, he may just be bitter due to the memories that always surrounded him here, but Kaidan liked to think he really thought it was a waste of money.

Best food in town was down in Zakera Ward; well, the best food he liked. Cheap, greasy and filling. Not that healthy, but he was about to go back to military rations – one more fast food night wasn't going to make or break him. As he walked down the steps to the next level, he couldn't help but be glad he hadn't completely broken down. Minus the first night, of course…but he was only human.

_You make me feel human._

Dammit, there went his mind again. He shook his head and looked into the nearest window for a distraction. To his great (and pleasant) surprise he had managed to stop in front of an amp shop: the perfect thing to get his mind off of her. _Looks like they may even have the new Savant in stock. _Time to do some browsing. He was considering getting a new one, anyway; better to grab it before he headed back out to duty. The door slid open and he stepped through.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."

He froze and stared in shock at the speaker. _What the hell?_

"Are you all right, Commander Alenko?" He quickly got his face under control and turned to face the Asari who was attending the kiosk. A blink later, he recognized her. She was the one who helped him pick out his current amp of choice. Kaidan quickly nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine. When did you get that recording?" He kept his voice neutral as he walked over.

She laughed quickly. "Oh, I just got it up and running! Would you believe Commander Shepa-… Oh. You were with her at the Battle of the Citadel, weren't you? Of course you were! Then you know her. She has quite the personality. A little…edgy, though. Not quite the hero from the holovids…I think something had her agitated. She agreed to do it just for my employee discount! What a bargain."

_Agitated? _Kaidan shrugged and remembered to watch his words carefully. Horizon was still considered top-secret, classified at the highest levels. "I haven't seen her in quite some time; wouldn't know. Hey, did I see the new Savant on your list?"

"Yes! Would you care to look at the specifications? I think it would be most wonderful for your line of work, Commander."

l====l

An hour later, Kaidan pocketed his chit with a good natured smile. Good thing he got a loyal customer discount along with his Alliance subsidization. It was still a little more than he wanted to spend, but this was an upgrade he wouldn't be changing for a long time. Her voice blared from the speaker as he exited the shop, causing another jolt of nostalgia. Despite their good service, he never wanted to come back to this store; not as long as _that _advertisement played. Hearing her voice was not going to do good things to him tonight. His stomach quickly and loudly reminded him of his original intent in heading out. Off to his delicious and horribly unhealthy dinner.

He walked through the door of the fast food joint and was stunned to stillness again.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."

Brown eyes flicked to the speaker. Had he gone crazy? The line cooks laughed when they saw him and began to make rooting noises. The whoops snapped him out of it and he realized they must recognize him at this point. Well, he _did _order delivery a lot these past two weeks, so that wasn't too surprising. He shook his head to clear yet another memory and went to order a _lot _of food.

Another good hour later, he finally headed out with arms full of delicious sustenance. This shirt was going to smell of fried stuff until he cleaned it. He made a beeline for the stairs, hoping to avoid anyone or anything that could distract him. He was _starving_. A turian walked out of some gun shop shaking their head and almost bumped into him. Instead of moving on, Kaidan stared at the door when a familiar voice rang across once again.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."

My god, was she _everywhere? _He briskly headed to the next place – a popular souvenir shop – and waited for someone to walk in.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."

_What the…hell?_

He checked the electronics shop.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."

And the programming store.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."

And the sushi place.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."

_What the hell? She doesn't even like sushi._

He walked down the stairs and waited for the elevator. Did she really record that for every store in the entire ward? Kaidan leaned against the elevator wall as it lifted him to the Presidium. The more he thought about it, the more that seemed like something she would do. A harmless practical joke and something to get her a discount; he could see the old her chortling loudly at her own antics.

…_Was _that really her on Horizon?


End file.
